


Trick-Taker

by Celandine



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Ficlet, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-17
Updated: 2009-07-17
Packaged: 2017-10-12 16:49:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/126981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celandine/pseuds/Celandine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They usually play poker for forfeits. Tonight it's a different game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trick-Taker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AngelaSnape](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelaSnape/gifts).



Leonard had always considered himself a decent poker player, and Jim was so impulsive that it was remarkable he could control his expression during their games, but he managed to beat Leonard quite regularly. Leonard didn't mind that in itself, but they played for forfeits, and he acknowledged privately that he was getting a little tired of being the one who paid up four times out of five.

"How about a game of War, instead?" he suggested one evening. That should be a safe game; how the cards played out was entirely haphazard. There was no skill involved at all, so their chances of winning would be equal.

" _War?_ The children's game?" Jim gave him a quizzical look. "All right, if you want to."

"It was Joanna's favorite," Leonard offered in half-explanation. He shuffled the cards thoroughly and then dealt.

After two hours of play, he was fuming. _How_ had Jim managed to win _every_ hand? The man's luck was positively phenomenal, and now Leonard owed him two blow jobs, a back rub, and a bottle of fine Saurian brandy.

"Double or nothing, Bones?" Jim asked with a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. "Everything I've won so far tonight against the equivalent?"

"All right," said Leonard recklessly. He was already depressingly behind; making it twice as bad wouldn't hurt him that much, and there was always the chance that this time he would win. He watched Jim deal.

Twenty minutes later, much to his own surprise, he took Jim's final card.

"Congratulations." Jim grinned at him, the skin around his eyes crinkling. "What do you claim as your forfeit?"

"I..." Leonard's throat closed up. What he wanted from Jim was not exactly something suitable for a forfeit at cards.

"Come on," Jim urged. "You can ask for something pretty spectacular, you know, if you don't just want the two back rubs and whatever else it was."

"Then I want an answer to a question," he said. "Not a _particular_ answer, although of course I hope you'll answer in a certain way, but just _an_ answer, tonight."

Jim squinted at him. "An answer to a question? Okay, what's the -- oh. _That_ question, huh?"

Leonard nodded. They'd never been very good at expressing their feelings verbally. Several times he'd tried to muster the courage to ask Jim to marry him, and he rather thought that Jim had also made such plans more than once, but neither of them had managed ever actually to ask. This was the closest he'd come.

Jim reached for the cards and shuffled them idly, then held them out to Leonard. "Pick one."

Pulling out a card, Leonard flipped the eight of clubs onto the table.

His eyes intent on Leonard's, Jim pulled one out too: the king of hearts.

"I think that's a yes," said Jim.

Leonard was happy to agree.

**Author's Note:**

> For angela_snape, who wanted Kirk/Bones, war.


End file.
